


When Tragedy Strikes

by iZombi



Series: Sabaton mini-stories collection [2]
Category: Sabaton (Band)
Genre: Blood, Bones Breaking, Crying, Gen, Heavy Angst, M/M, Non-life-threatening Injury, Out Cold, Physical Therapy, RATED MATURE for BROKEN BONES, Recovery, Severe Pain, Swearing, TLC, Yelling, ambulance called, bones poking out from injury, cursing, flesh tearing open, friends helping friends, heartfelt fan mail, hospital stay, leg cast, light news coverage, medically induced knock out, plenty of comfort, show gets cancelled, taking medicine, the snapping of bones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:29:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28972122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iZombi/pseuds/iZombi
Summary: Tragedy strikes the Sabaton crew when Joakim trips down the stairs, landing him a stay at the hospital.
Relationships: Chris Rörland (Sabaton) / Hannes Van Dahl (Sabaton), Chris Rörland (Sabaton) / Tommy Johannson (Sabaton), Hannes Van Dahl (Sabaton) / Tommy Johannson (Sabaton), Joakim Brodén (Sabaton) / Chris Rörland (Sabaton), Joakim Brodén (Sabaton) / Hannes Van Dahl (Sabaton), Joakim Brodén (Sabaton) / Pär Sundström (Sabaton), Joakim Brodén (Sabaton) / Tommy Johannson (Sabaton), Pär Sundström (Sabaton) / Chris Rörland (Sabaton), Pär Sundström (Sabaton) / Hannes Van Dahl (Sabaton), Pär Sundström (Sabaton) / Tommy Johannson (Sabaton)
Series: Sabaton mini-stories collection [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113131
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. The Accident

**Author's Note:**

> TW: BROKEN BONES
> 
> RATED MATURE for BROKEN BONES AND BLOOD
> 
> **DISCLAIMER: This story and the event that takes place in it is purely fictional, however, it contains very real people, and any similarities to any real situation(s) are purely coincidental.
> 
> IF YOU BELIEVE THAT THIS STORY MAY UPSET YOU IN ANY WAY, THEN PLEASE REFRAIN FROM READING AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN READING.

Joakim was currently in the upstairs area of the hotel that the band was staying at just five days before their next show at Glasgow, in Scotland. He was talking to Hannes and Pär about something important that they had to do in preparation before the big show.

Both men nodded in agreement and commented back and forth on what they could do, as they all headed downstairs to where the others were waiting for them in the lobby.

They had all agreed on visiting the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum since they were in the area of it, and perhaps it would prove to be a wonderful and invigorating thing for all of them to do!

As they all walked down the stairs, suddenly Joakim lost his footing and as his hand tried to reach for the banner, his hand slipped and he came crashing down the stairs.

As he fell, he managed to protect his head with his arms, effectively lessening the chance of a brain injury, however, his body suffered a worse fate, various minor fractures on his arms, shoulders, and hip.

However, the fatal blow was towards the end of the staircase as he landed in an awkward position and a loud deafening **_‘CRACK!’_** filled the air.

His left leg had just suffered a major fracture, the fibula snapped clean in half along with the Tibia that split along the middle.

The fibula was currently sticking slightly out of the leg from the torn flesh, about eight percent of it visible through the gore and blood.

Joakim screamed in agony from the bottom of the stairs, the horrible hot white blinding pain making it impossible for him to move.

Pär and Hannes rushed down the stairs, each running on nothing but adrenaline and panicking. As they made it to his side, Pär was the first to conduct first aid, as he saw the pooling blood he turned to Hannes and quickly instructed him to go and call an ambulance.

While Hannes did that, Pär made sure to try and keep Joakim still and from moving too much, as he was sure that Joakim could’ve injured his neck or spine in the fall, he calmly kept reassuring him throughout it all.

Pär took off his shirt and used it to help soak up the blood as best as he could, while applying pressure to the wound, hoping that it would slow the blood flow, he didn’t even dare push the bone back inside of its place.

As he looked over to Joakim’s face, he saw the signs of clinical shock: his skin was pale, lips and fingernails turning bluish, rapid breathing, and enlarged pupils.

If Joakim didn’t get help _now,_ he was going to _die_.

Which caused Pär to tear up, but he fought through the tears and kept applying pressure to the wound, what he needed to do now was help his friend, not be emotional.

Hannes turned to face Pär, and nearly threw up when he saw the pool of blood on the floor, he turned around and gagged.

Pär asked him about the ambulance, to which the younger man replied that it was already on its way, it would arrive in ten minutes.

Ok, that was good.

Just ten minutes.

Ten minutes where Joakim had to hold on.

Pär instructed Hannes to go to Joakim’s side and keep him awake by talking to him.

Hannes nodded and did as he was told, moving over to his friend’s side, making sure to not look at the blood. He began talking to Joakim about mundane things, such as activities that they had done before that were incredibly fun.

Joakim responded every once in a while, but he kept lagging behind by about a full second, this is what Pär feared the most, he was weak and fatigued.

“ **WHERE THE _FUCK_ IS THAT AMBULANCE?!**” Pär uncharacteristically cursed, as he fought hard with all his strength and weight to keep more blood from flowing out.

Tommy and Chris rushed over as they heard Pär yell, wondering what the commotion was about.

When they saw Joakim’s body on the ground, they both asked what happened, to which Hannes replied quickly to.

Tommy and Chris looked at each other and kind of just stood there, they didn’t know what to do.

Chris broke the ice again when he asked if an ambulance had been called, Pär confirmed.

Tommy looked out a window and when he saw the ambulance, he grabbed Chris’s hand and ran outside to guide the paramedics inside.

As they guided the paramedics, once they came within view of their patient they all sprang into action.

One paramedic took over of what Pär was doing, as another directed him over to the side, seeing as how he had blood on him they were worried he was injured.

Another pulled Hannes to the side to ask him what had happened.

A few officers that had also followed the paramedics were there too, they prevented people from overcrowding the area, both from the inside of the building and from the outside, as they blocked people from entering the building.

Joakim on the other hand was steadily losing consciousness and wasn’t responding to any of the questions that the paramedics threw at him.

One gently lifted his head and outfitted his neck with a neck brace.

Another noted that Joakim was struggling to breathe on his own and so they outfitted him with a manual respirator bag which they kept pumping, making sure that air got to the lungs.

Two paramedics worked quickly beside Joakim’s leg and splinted the broken limb.

The paramedic who placed the neck brace was currently checking Joakim’s body for any other injuries that needed to be secured, when they felt that none needed a brace, they monitored him to see if he would stop breathing to see if they had to conduct CPR.

Two officers and a paramedic came into the area with a gurney in tow, they approached the casualty and in a team effort, all helped ease him into the gurney.

They all quickly hauled him off to the ambulance, with the remainder of the Sabaton group following closely behind to watch their friend get taken away to the hospital.

As they made it outside, they could all immediately see that a small news crew had gathered and were taking various pictures as the event unfolded, some shouting questions at the men, looking for answers as to what happened.

They ignored all the commotion, their eyes transfixed on Joakim’s limp body as it was hauled in the ambulance, when the paramedics' secured everything, they drove off, lights and siren blasting as they sped off in the distance.

As the four found themselves standing there, motionless and in complete silence, with the absence of their best friend.

Pär was the first to break, he fell to his knees and cried out in agony, tears fell like a stream down his cheeks, horrible wracking sobs that shook his entire body.

Hannes got down next to Pär and silently embraced his friend, he tried his best to provide him with comfort as he too sobbed.

Tommy and Chris both began to sob as well, Chris pulled Tommy in for a hug as they both cried.

The cries of the men filled the air as the crowd that had gathered outside watched in shock, the various news crews growing silent as they all listened to the men’s heart-wrenching sobs.

Only one question lingered in the air amongst everyone alike,

“ _Was Joakim Brodén going to survive his injuries?”_


	2. The Hospital Visit...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are finally able to visit Joakim in the hospital, where he has regained consciousness after two days of being induced. They converse with their friend and let him in on everything that has happened since the accident.

Two days have gone and passed since the accident, with Joakim still residing at the hospital in recovery.

His family was the first ones granted access to see their son, so as to see how he was doing, and they found that he was in far better shape than on the first day. Now fully conscious and as healthy as he could be while under the careful and attentive hands of the hospital staff who took great care of him.

He was told by his family that he had suffered an accident and that he could remember as he had fallen from the stairs, but as they didn’t know the full scope of what happened they couldn’t elaborate much.

That would have to be left up to his friends to explain.

Who, speaking of which, was visiting him at the hospital today, they were just downstairs in the lobby anxiously waiting for his family to finish their appropriate visiting hours.

“You know, son… your friends are downstairs in the lobby, they’re here to see you…” Spoke his father

Joakim turned to face his dad, “Really?” his eyes wide with surprise

His mother nodded, “Yes! And they’re all anxious to see you… it seems that you’ve gotten everyone worried over you…” she spoke, as she placed a tender and loving hand on her sons’.

Joakim squeezed his mom’s hand, “I know… I’m sorry about all of this…” he spoke, upset that this whole endeavor had to occur in the first place.

“It’s alright son…” spoke his father, grabbing his son’s other hand, “We're just happy to have you still alive…” he comforted.

Joakim nodded, a few tears falling down his face that his mother wiped away.

A nurse stepped into the room, “The last five minutes are coming up sir and ma’am, please say your goodbyes and allow the next group to visit the patient…” they spoke, before bidding them farewell and leaving once again.

“Five minutes left?” his father spoke, looking over at his wife in shock

“Time does fly when you’re trying to catch up…” she commented as she got up and carefully hugged her son, “I love you, my dear, please, take better care of yourself and don’t hurt yourself…” she spoke, placing a tender kiss on his forehead.

Joakim hugged back and gave his mom a kiss back on her cheek, “Of course mom…”

His father got up as well and hugged his son too, and patted his back, “Please sport, we still need you, your band needs you too…” he commented.

Joakim nodded as he hugged his father back.

And so, they got up and bid one final farewell before finally leaving him all alone with his thoughts.

Joakim looked over to the large windowsill his room had, it was covered entirely with various flowers, gifts, a few stuffed animals, and get-well notes that various people had left him, both friends and family alike.

It filled his heart with so much love to know that people loved him and wanted to see him make a full recovery.

“ ** _JOAKIM_**!” Shouted a voice that spooked Joakim, making him jump at the sudden noise, he turned to see who it was and nearly screamed back, “ ** _PÄR_**!”

“No, shouting sirs!” Called out a nurse to the duo.

“S-Sorry!” Pär apologized before running over to his friend’s side, he carefully got close and hugged him tightly, “Holy shit, Joakim!”

“Pär, I missed you so much!” Joakim replied back, tears falling down his face, he was overwhelmed to see his long life best friend at his side.

“H-Hey you two, d-don’t heave us o-out…” cried Chris, who was holding a bouquet of flowers in hand, Tommy was holding his other hand so as to reassure his friend.

Both were silently crying, a pitiful smile on their lips.

Joakim cried harder when he saw them, he and Pär pulled away from the hug so as to allow the other two to hug him as well.

Chris and Tommy took either side and hugged their friend, the embrace deepening as the three cried happily after not being able to see each other.

Joakim receiving a kiss on the forehead from both men, who clearly were extremely grateful to see their friend alive and well.

“Wh-what about me?” asked Hannes, who has his arms crossed, he was trying to look cool and not cry, but Joakim could tell that he too was hurting and needed to hug his friend.

Joakim laughed, “Come here you!”, Tommy and Chris stepped aside and allowed Hannes to approach him.

Hannes’ slender arms enveloped Joakim and they embraced, “H-Holy shit man, you had us s-so fucking w-w-worried…” he stuttered as he hugged him back.

“I know, I know… I’m so sorry…” he spoke softly as he hugged him, Hannes wiping his tears away and they embraced in a long-overdue hug.

Once all the hugging was said and done, the four sat down in the chairs that the room offered and they all got to catch up, asking their friend varied questions of how he felt, how his leg was doing, what happened to the bone, etc…

Joakim managed to answer almost every question thrown at him, as he had been informed by nurses and doctors alike of what happened to him. The questions that he couldn’t answer were simply because he hadn’t been given the answers to.

“Hey, do you want to know what happened after the accident?” Asked Hannes

Joakim nodded, “Yes please-“ he stopped for a moment, “You can start after they took me away in the ambulance…” he added.

Hannes nodded and with a shaky sigh began explaining everything that happened afterward;

_“After you got taken to the hospital, the four of us just broke down and cried, we were so horrified and worried that you wouldn’t pull through-“_ he paused for a bit and laughed.

_“-Which you have!”_ he swallowed and continued, _“But uh yeah, when you left in the ambulance there was a news crew and a small crowd outside, everyone wanted to know what happened to you…_

_Soon after those news crews aired the accident or at least what they could get to the air, and now everyone knows that you had an accident and suffered a nasty injury…_

_We’ve been having a lot of people who wanted to interview us and fans who wanted to know, but we couldn’t… it was horrible and traumatizing for us to have had seen you like that, and we didn’t want to speak about it to strangers or interviewers, so we denied each and every single one that came to us about that…_

_On top of that, we’ve also had to cancel the Glasgow show, the first time in Sabaton history that we’ve had to cancel a show, and of course, no one was happy about it, a lot of tickets got refunded…_

_However, on the upside, the merchandise has been flying off of the shelves in droves, fans from all over the world are desperately trying to help us raise enough money to help your family with paying the expense of the medical bill…_

_To which your family, has been incredibly grateful and thankful for…_

_Soon, words got around to the fans who were also asking the same questions too, all we could really do for the public was let out a statement that you had suffered an accident and an injury, were in the hospital, and we all just wanted to focus on you and your recovery, we wanted everyone to respect our wishes of not wanting to speak on it…_

_The message thankfully was well received and people steadily stopped asking what happened, and that’s where we are now…”_ Hannes finished his lengthy explanation, Pär holding his hand throughout it all to reassure him.

Joakim nods after taking it all in, he sighed and rubbed his face, “Goddamn it…”

Tommy nodded, “Yeah and honestly, people can’t wait to hear from you, they want to know if you’re ok…”

Chris nodded to Tommy’s comment, “And don’t worry, although only a few people know that you’re staying at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, your family has asked for a small police presence to stop anyone who isn’t friends or family from coming in…” he explained

Joakim’s eyes widened, “Wh-What? Really?”

Pär nodded, “Your family and the band really came through and joined forces on that front, we didn’t want anything to stop you from recovering…” he explained.

Joakim couldn’t help but smile, his cheeks flushed a light pink, “Thank you guys, really, all of you…”

They all nodded and told them that it wasn’t a problem, as they were his friends and essentially like a second family to him, they loved and cared about him, and only wanted what was best for him.

A nurse stopped by and told them that they were the final group for visiting hours and that soon, they’d be needing for them to leave, so they would have to start wrapping things up.

The group sadly sighed but relented nevertheless, as they would have to give Joakim time to recover further if they hoped for his return to the band.

They all got up once more and each one hugged Joakim tightly, giving him various words of encouragement and strength.

Chris finally handed Joakim the bouquet of flowers to which he gratefully took and looked at all the beautiful flowers, he gave Chris a big hug and thanked him for the gift.

Eventually, the group had to bit their friend farewell and leave him to recover, Joakim waved them goodbye as they left.

As Joakim lay there in his hospital bed, with the bouquet of flowers that Chris had given him in a vase that a nurse had put them into, he gazed deeply out the window and at all the gifts that were displayed there for him.

He clenched his hands together tightly into fists and silently vowed to himself and everyone that he would make a speedy recovery, for the sake of the band and his future.


	3. The News of It All...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Joakim is informed of what happened to him and so is the general public and his family, fans from all over the globe gather to make Joakim and the band various heartfelt letters, fan mail, etc… and it’s just what the guys needed to help them through the trauma of it all.

After the band, various friends, and his family had visited Joakim in the hospital, silently, behind the scenes, things were moving rather quickly.

You see, because much as Hannes had said, fans from literally every single corner of the globe were hard at work with flooding every official shop they could get their hands on and purchasing every single item that was available.

Online forums were being flooded with messages wishing the band and family fortune their way and health for Joakim.

Some fans were even working diligently at making massive group covers of their favorite songs that the band had created and sent it their way.

Songs that previously didn’t have an official music video, we're now having fan animated, live-action reenactments, etc… done for them.

Heartfelt e-mails were being flooded to the Sabaton crew so fast that the online e-mail service provider had to make a public statement on their Twitter that they were having an issue with their online servers and were currently working hard to fix the issues.

Many of the band’s songs, even those that weren’t as popular before were garnering so much attention on both Spotify and YouTube that they were quickly defeating previous music behemoths on the charts.

All over the world, and seemingly overnight, Sabaton had garnered so much attention, more so than any other band or musician had in the past or present.

Sabaton was in the hearts and minds of every fan.

The following morning, Pär and the boys awoke to a flurry of chaos in the tour bus as they were informed from every single possible social media outlet of the massive attention that Sabaton had drawn to itself, even the local Glasgow news anchorage covering the story live on national television.

Pär was dumbfounded and opened the bands' official email on his phone to see what was happening and he watched email after email pour in, he read the subject of each email that flew by:

_“Prayers for Joakim!”_

_“I hope you boys are doing alright”_

_“We miss you Sabaton!”_

_“Please don’t cry, guys!”_

So many kindhearted words and messages of health, hope, and prayer-filled the Sabaton official inbox.

Suddenly the bus’s door flung open as outside stood a friend and co-worker of the band, they were holding two massive bags in either hands.

Chris spoke up first, “What the hell is that?”

The friend opened both bags on the grass and out poured letter after letter of fan mail and gifts, some that were directed to the band members, Joakim, and his family alike.

“It looks like we’ve got mail to sort through…” they spoke

Tommy and Chris’ jaws dropped in pure awe and shock at the massive amounts of letters and gifts that had been shipped to them.

Pär took a random letter and opened the envelope, he read aloud what the note said:

“ _Dear Sabaton,_

_I know that you do not know who I am, and that shouldn’t matter right now, because what does matter is Joakim, his family, and you four. You’re all so very strong and beautiful people who have touched the heart and souls of all those around you with your music and with the way you treat your fans. I just wanted to speak for the voices of the masses and say thank you, deeply, from the bottom of our hearts for making such amazing music and for being wonderful people. We all love you and when I saw you four cries on the news as Joakim was taken away, it tore my heart in half, stay strong for yourselves, for him, for his recovery, for his return, and for his family. We love you._

_Your fans.”_

Pär’s hands were shaking as the final words left his mouth, tears began to flow down his cheeks, the overwhelming support and love that everyone was throwing at them were becoming too much for him to process and so he cried.

But not out of sadness mind you, no, he wasn’t sad, he was just so overjoyed and overwhelmed that he needed to get it all out.

Hannes, Tommy, and Chris all embraced and joined in for a group hug and happy crying session.

These letters were _most_ definitely going to be loved and cherished for years to come because they were exactly what the boys and everyone else needed to hear during these trying times.

The boys all agreed that at least half of the letters as well as any gifts for the family and for him would be given to them for them to keep and cherish, meanwhile the band would keep the remaining letters as a reminder of this grueling event.


	4. The Healing Process…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joakim proceeds with the physical therapy that will enable him to be able to walk again and join his band.

We find ourselves six weeks ahead into the future, Joakim has received the good news from his doctor that his injury is healing nicely and he will be able to go back to touring and performing live on stage again, but he will have to be far more careful with how he walks and be aware of his surroundings.

And so, he began on his physical therapy, they told him that it would be decided into four phases, each one would take a maximum of three to five weeks to complete too slowly ensure that the fracture was healing appropriately.

Phase one consisted of maximum protection, which meant that for him he’d wearing a full leg cast for six weeks, his leg elevated above the heart to ensure appropriate blood flow and absolutely no weight bearing for the allotted six weeks.

He would also do multi-plane hip strengthening to get some of his lost strength back into his body, his core and upper extremities receiving the same amount of strengthening.

\- - -

Phase 2, was the range of motion and early strengthening, this phase began at the eighth-week mark, where a gradual progression to full weight-bearing was steadily worked upon.

Physiotherapy nurses worked hard with Joakim to help him restore normal gait mechanics within his body, their focus going on full active and passive ROM on all planes.

With a strong emphasis on restoring full dorsiflexion, isometric and early isotonic for the ankle, and foot intrinsic strengthening.

They worked on him with bilateral progressing to a unilateral squat, step, and matrix progression, as well as proprioception training and non-impact cardiovascular work.

\- - -

Phase 3, known as the progressive strengthening, started at the twelfth-week mark, where now they had progressed to the restoration of a full range of motion on all planes.

Advanced Ankle and foot intrinsic strengthening, with pool running progressing to dry land training.

Linear progress to lateral and rotational functional movements within the leg and ankle, as well as bilateral progressing to unilateral plyometric activity to help further the strength within the appendage.

\- - -

Finally, we come to the last phase, phase 4 on the sixteenth-week mark, working on advanced strengthening, where they focused on advanced impact and functional progress.

Sport-specific drills on field or court with a functional brace to help aid him, with a sports test at 3-4 months based on the progress he’s made.

\- - -

Finally, after sixteen weeks of physical therapy, Joakim had made an exceptional recovery and now has better movement and range of his once injured leg.

The bone underneath steadily strengthening as time went on.

However, the doctor advised Joakim to wear appropriate footwear, to not overexert himself, to watch where he walked, to follow a diet full of calcium-rich foods such as milk, yogurt, and cheese to help him build up bone strength.

As well as to not forget to do weight-bearing exercises to help strengthen bones.

Joakim nodded and took the doctor’s advice to heart.

As he was dispatched from the hospital, he was handed various forms of paper that would help guide him in his road to recovery.

“Well ma’am, it looks like the bill has actually been paid for in full…” spoke the woman at the desk of the hospital.

“Wh-What? It has?!” Both mother and father of Joakim asked incredulously.

The woman nodded and confirmed their question, “Yes, it would appear that his friends-“ she gestured to Joakim, “-Had actually stopped by to give the hospital a cheque for the bill, it’s been paid…” she smiled at them.

Joakim was floored, they actually managed to afford the bill? How? He thought that the merchandise they sold wouldn’t be enough to cover it.

The nurse continued once again, “Well, I suppose you should all be on your way then, happy recovery…” she told Joakim, who nodded silently, still in shock.

As his family and he left the hospital they hugged deeply and thanked the stars for the help they received in paying for the bill.

Joakim’s parents offered to drive him to where the tour was parked as they had to catch a flight to go back home to Sweden. Joakim thanked them and took the offer, as they drove to the tour bus’s last known location.

When Joakim finally arrived, as he stepped out of the car, he was greeted by Pär and his friends who were the first to run over to him and hold him tightly, he was flooded with greetings and with a warm welcome back.

Everyone else did the same too, Joakim hugging and saying hello to the other members of Sabaton.

Chris and Tommy approached Joakim’s family with a large box in their hands.

“Oh? What’s that for?” the mother asked

“Our fans sent letters to your family and your son, as well as gifts, we’ve compiled them all in this box, please, take it!”

Both Joakim’s mother and father stood in silent shock as they took the box, but thanked the boys nevertheless and hugged them before they had to leave to the airport.

“So how are you feeling?” Pär asked Joakim

He nodded, “Oh! Much better really!” He spoke as he did a tiny spin, “They told me to take it easy, eat calcium-rich foods, and try to build strength on it, steadily…” he explained.

A collective sigh of relief filled the air as everyone then cheered for their friend’s return.

Joakim laughed and welcomed the cheering, he was just so overjoyed that he could finally be back with his band.


	5. A Month Later After It All…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We fast forward a month later after the accident to see how the band and fans alike are handling things.

One moth fast forward after the accident, Joakim no longer needs to have a brace on his leg to help him walk appropriately, and the doctors as well the physical therapist considered him fit to go, but suggested to him that he should not stop the exercise and therapy that he’s learned.

Things have also calmed down significantly with the Sabaton fan community, sales have returned back to normal and the massive influx of e-mails and fan letters have also calmed.

This was completely due to the fact that Joakim decided to do an interview with a popular power metal interviewing agency and he spoke about what had happened to him, while also avoiding or just outright not answering questions that were too personal for him to comment on.

Later, Sabaton made an official announcement to the public that Joakim was healthy enough to have a live show, and so it was quickly decided where they would do their next show.

It was no surprise when Glasgow, Scotland was chosen once again, but it was alright, as the venue welcomed the band with open arms and eagerly awaited to have them perform.

Tickets for this show sold out in just one week, their fastest show to ever sell out in Sabaton history!

They had a whopping crowd of 5,000 fans eager to see them.

\- - -

On the night of the show, as soon as the band entered the stage, the crowd roared to life with various whoops, screams, hollers, and cheers. Every single individual present was absolutely stoked to see the band together performing.

Joakim took a moment to take it all in, it sent shivers down his back, but he smiled and laughed nevertheless, waving at the crowd.

He could spot various Swedish flags in the crowd as well as a few signs that said, “WELCOME BACK JOAKIM!”, “WE LOVE YOU!, “WE MISSED YOU!”.

He was so happy and overwhelmed at the reactions that he was receiving, he grabbed the microphone and put it close to his mouth.

He put a single finger up in the air as a way of saying, “Wait, shhh!” and suddenly, like clockwork, silence overtook the crowd.

You could practically hear a pin drop from how quiet it got.

“Thank you, Glasgow, for having us and for welcoming us back!” he cheered, a wave of cheers from the crowd following suit.

“And an even bigger thank you to everyone who helped us, both big and small, truly… thank you! It’s an honor to know that we’ve had this much of an impact on all of you!-“ The cheers of the crowd cut him off once again, which caused him to laugh.

“Ok, so what do you guys want to start with?! We’ll let you choose!” He shouted to the crowd.

“ ** _CAROLUS REX!_** ” Called the sea of people to the band.

And so, began the concert, with the start to a glorious song.

This was a momentous moment in Sabaton’s history, one that fans and band members alike would remember for years to come.


End file.
